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The Page party who were here last week of August (and the last week of last August, and who have promised to be here for the last week of every August) had an extremely productive time by the river. This 5lb sea trout and 8.5lb salmon were the choice fish but they also had a 5lb salmon and a monster 5lb brown trout, plus a good hundred smaller trout. They also had Allan Heaney in to fully cater their entire holiday so the house was a scene of utter civilization at every mealtime. Jim Broadbent is one of our 21 season permit holders and he took a further 4 grilse during the second week of August and reports from further down the Spey suggest it has been a strong year all round for sea trout.

All of which is much more fishily recreational and relaxing than the epic window refurbishment currently underway on the cottages, all of which will look absolutely beautiful once we are done.

Everyone thought I was joking but the BBC now say otherwise. Then my neighbour saw it snooping around his house and I’m reliably informed that a local photographer has got close enough to get a picture of it which I will post here as soon as it is released.

Now we have had a last minute spate of bookings through September. I don’t yet know whether the Scottish big cat spotting community are closing in.

I meant to mention this a while ago but we now have 8 weeks during which we will be running bed and breakfast in the big house. If you fancy it it starts at £80 per night for a double and £50 for a single, climbing a little if you fancy a four poster.

Very exciting news coming up on the fishing too, the party in the house right now have had a significant fish every day, an 8lb Salmon, then a 5 pounder, plus a 5 1/2lb brown and a 4lb sea trout. Pictures to follow.

Spot the difference.

For some reason there is loads of Ragwort this year. Ragwort contains toxins that can build up in and damage the livers of horses so we are on a concerted mission to weed out all 100 plus acres of it. Its a repetitive, physical task offset in the agricultural scale by the pounds of wild raspberries, chanterelles, redcurrants, blackcurrants an cherries that are all in fruit. An epic simmering of jam is also underway.

This is a week for videos rather than words. Richard found himself sufficiently inspired by the Insider to put this together.

Cristina and MP’s Wedding Highlights from Love Gets Sweeter on Vimeo.

The video kinda says it, a lovely weekend had by all.

Here’s one for visitors to look out for. There have been recent sightings, as reported here by the Strathspey and Badenoch Herald, of a large cat believed to be a black panther. The last sighting was in the woods near the gates of Inshriach House. We deny it was anything to do with the entertainment for the wedding this weekend and our neighbours big furry cat Sampson denies ever coming this far from home but we will leave some food out and see if we can make friends. Watch this space for updates.

July is the month of all things nuptial.

First up were Emily and Simon. They took the house for a long weekend and chose a humanist ceremony so everyone could wander out across the fields and they could get married here amongst the buttercups. Big Al (our favourite chef) fed everyone back on the lawn then we took off in glad rags and wedding togs to the ceilidh in Kincraig. They then spent a secluded and romantic wedding night in the yurt.

The second wedding was Richard and Marie’s, old friends who have been coming to Inshriach for years. I was best man (Richard’s stag took place at the Insider) and I needed suitable wheels to get the groom to Tiverton registry office, a small matter of 850 miles away. Long standing visitors will have met the Heap, a tweaked 1971 MGB that has followed me round the country untouched and in bits for the best part of a decade. A week of late nights in the workshop saw the Heap fail its MOT on Monday, slightly catch fire on Tuesday, pass a retest, then make the journey in one hit, in driving rain, without a roof.

Now I’m back and a field away there is a huge marquee set up in preparation for MP and Cristina’s wedding, another tent on the lawn for the reception and the laws of physics are being twisted to allow all 185 guests to catch the action from Kincraig church (capacity 100)…